Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Ryu – Mr. Izay, you’re really one of a kind…

What’s it like to walk through the Underground Maze in the dead of night—or rather, the early morning—with an elven beauty, all alone?

Izay can answer that question with great responsibility.

—It’s exhausting!

In every sense of the word~

Gray rocks rolled everywhere; walls, floors, and ceilings were all made of rock strata, with a faintly damp air wafting around.

This natural Cave located on the mountain slope might seem believable to someone who knows nothing about it.

But the truth isn’t far off either.

The Dungeon terrain changes drastically at fixed floor levels.

From the standard maze construction of the first layer directly connected to the surface, to forests, lakes, wastelands, and various other forms, each floor presents a small world unimaginable as being underground.

The deeper you go, the more obvious these natural environmental changes become.

Izay and Ryu were now advancing through the rocky cavern.

Ahead stretched a single rocky road leading deep into the distance.

Perhaps it was a passage leading to a Cavern, but such a long corridor was quite rare. Although the road stretched straight ahead, there was no end in sight.

Moreover, in the corners of the walls, there were vertical holes like wells.

These led to trap pits on the lower floors, designed to kill careless Adventurers.

With dim phosphorescence and the occasional roar of Monsters echoing through the Cave, the atmosphere was oppressive.

Unlike the upper layers, starting from the Middle Layer, the Monsters possess ranged attack abilities.

Spitting magical flames, throwing stone axes and blades… none of which are trifling matters for Adventurers.

Knowing that Izay was preparing to explore the Middle Layer, Loki and Eina both suggested he buy a “Fire Elemental Protective Cloth” for protection.

As a Middle Layer Monster, the Hell Hound has the nickname “Fire Mage,” a canine-type beast whose fiery breath is incredibly powerful, easily melting regular armor.

The “Fire Elemental Protective Cloth” provides high resistance to fire and heat attacks—it’s practically a must-have item for Adventurers tackling the Middle Layer.

However, Izay, thinking he could cast shields, didn’t bother to purchase it.

If put bluntly, his thought process was—why ride a bike when you have a superpower machine?

Watching those Hell Hounds spew fire, Izay didn’t even flinch.

“Wall Rising to Immense Heights, forever the god!”

“ROOOAAAAAARRRRR——”

With a fierce spinning sound, charging from the depths of the passage came the Armadillo Beast—Hard Armor Rat.

Facing the massive bullet rushing towards him, Izay didn’t even entertain the notion of dodging.

For this monster, which only attacked by charging recklessly, it was merely a moving target to him.

“Starfall!”

Lifting his left hand, which wasn’t holding a Spear, a silver light construct appeared in Izay’s palm—a complex eight-pointed star structure at its center, resembling a magic circle.

About half a meter in diameter, it gathered azure light at its core. Tiny light particles smaller than snow crystals shimmered in the air, gradually coalescing into a sphere.

Following Izay’s will, the azure light sphere shot out from the concentric circles, trailing a long streak of flame as it collided with the incoming massive bullet.

“—!!”

In the next instant, a flash of pure white light engulfed the entire field of vision, exploding outward with a roar akin to a monstrous bellow.

—Massive Explosion!

Azure flames unleashed a powerful shockwave, causing chunks of rock to fall from the ceiling, groaning under the strain.

The Hard Armor Rat, having taken the full brunt of the attack, didn’t leave behind even a trace.

At the center of the explosion, only wisps of smoke and faint blue sparks danced in the air.

“Magic without incantation, with such immense power, is utterly unfair, Mr. Izay.”

Lowering her arm used to shield her eyes from the intense light, Ryu adjusted her hat brim ruffled by the wind and spoke with a somewhat complicated tone.

“That’s true, but doesn’t the word ‘unfair’ itself perfectly describe the nature of Magic?”

Shrugging, Izay remained indifferent.

His magic, called “Starfall,” would be better described as “Starburst.”

The violent explosion and searing heat generated upon impact were undeniably spectacular, its power enough to make one tremble.

That, however, was exactly what he liked most about it.

If learning Magic doesn’t aim for overwhelming power, then learning Magic itself becomes meaningless.

Izay began to understand why some people would rather abandon learning more powerful spells to pursue a single “Ultimate Burst.”

Just imagining the thrill of unleashing such power gets one pumped up and refreshed~

“You’re right…”

Hearing Izay’s response, Ryu nodded in agreement and continued following him as they bypassed the site of the earlier explosion and pressed forward.

After defeating countless waves of monsters, the two arrived at the boundary between the fourteenth and fifteenth floors.

Compared to other areas, the Caverns at the ends of the floors, once cleared of their monsters, were relatively safe zones—at least temporarily.

Which was enough for a short rest.

After hours of continuous travel and constant battles, they were inevitably a bit tired.

After briefly discussing, Izay and Ryu decided to take a break here.

In terms of sheer size, the Underground Maze was unimaginably vast.

Even a “First-Class Adventurer” would need several days to travel back and forth between the depths of the Underground Maze and the surface.

Starting from the Middle Layer, adventurers exploring the Underground Maze needed to pace themselves and adjust their condition accordingly.

Otherwise, accumulating fatigue would eventually become an unbearable burden, revealing its grim face to the adventurer.

Besides, reaching the fifteenth floor, Izay aimed to solo a “Enhanced Species.” Adjusting his state before entering the fifteenth floor was absolutely necessary.

Izay wasn’t reckless enough to fight enemies while critically injured just to show off.

Let the sword saint enjoy that kind of thing.

He personally couldn’t handle it.

Inside the cleared-out Cavern, under Ryu’s strange gaze, Izay pulled out a picnic blanket from the outer pocket of his backpack, spread it on the ground, and sat down casually.

“If you don’t mind, why not sit beside me?”

Unaware of the peculiar look on the elf girl’s face, Izay patted the spot beside him where Ryu stood frozen, then started rummaging through his backpack again.

Pre-packaged stick bread, rice balls, boxed meals, bottled drinks…

By the time Ryu saw everything, she was completely numb.

Are you here for tourism or to explore the Dungeon?

Would a normal person preparing to explore the “Middle Layer” bring all this stuff in their backpack??

Is she out of touch with the times or something?

“Cough, well… I had an early dinner and took a nap this afternoon, thinking I might get hungry during the exploration, so I prepared specially beforehand. I’m not usually like this.”

Finally noticing Ryu’s indescribably complex expression after laying out everything, Izay gave a fake cough and explained slightly.

“It’s not that, Mr. Izay, your behavior is truly… one of a kind…”

So unique that she didn’t even know where to start her critique.